Indian Killer Indian Killer

Synopses & Reviews

Synopsis:

Part thriller, part magical realism, and part social commentary, Indian Killer . . . lingers long past the final page.”—Seattle Weekly

A national best seller, Indian Killer is arguably Sherman Alexies most controversial book to date—a gritty, racially charged literary thriller that, over a decade after its first publication, remains an electrifying tale of alienation and justice. A serial murderer called the Indian Killer is terrorizing Seattle, hunting, scalping, and slaughtering white men. Motivated by rage and seeking retribution for his peoples violent history, his grizzly MO and skillful elusiveness both paralyze the city with fear and prompt an uprising of racial brutality. Out of the chaos emerges John Smith. Born to Indians but raised by white parents, Smith yearns for his lost heritage. As his embitterment with his dual life increases, Smith falls deeper into vengeful madness and quickly surfaces as the prime suspect. Tensions mount, and while Smith battles to allay the anger that engulfs him, the Indian Killer claims another life. With acerbic wit and chilling page-turning intensity, Alexie takes an unflinching look at what nurtures rage within a race both colonized and marginalized by a society that neither values nor understands it.

What Our Readers Are Saying

Average customer rating based on 1 comment:

crowyhead, July 29, 2011 (view all comments by crowyhead)
I found this book gripping, and once I really got into it, I couldn't put it down. I was ultimately disappointed, though. I know Sherman Alexie is not habitually a mystery writer, but I felt cheated by his reluctance to actually solve the mystery in this book. I found myself wishing it had been marketed as literary fiction, so that I would feel less cheated by the lack of resolution.

Things I loved: The insights into how American Indians form community in places like Seattle, where members of many tribes are thrown together. The weird, wonderful dream sequences. The hint of something possibly supernatural. The way Alexie treats orphans of all stripes.

Things I didn't like: The ambiguity of the ending -- all I really wanted was more of a clue as to who the Indian Killer was. It didn't have to be a "come out and reveal all," just some clearer sense. I also was sort of iffy on the characterization of Professor Mather. Lord knows we've all met individuals like him, but unlike the other characters, there was very little complexity, and he felt like a distillation of every stupidly insensitive, entitled white male professor in the world. I'm sure it was a hell of a good time writing him, but he was painted in such broad strokes in comparison to most of the other major players. Disappointing.

So now I've found myself with a book that I can't quite recommend to people, but that I also can't seem to stop talking about, which is very odd. I should give Alexie props for that, definitely!

Part thriller, part magical realism, and part social commentary, Indian Killer . . . lingers long past the final page.”—Seattle Weekly

A national best seller, Indian Killer is arguably Sherman Alexies most controversial book to date—a gritty, racially charged literary thriller that, over a decade after its first publication, remains an electrifying tale of alienation and justice. A serial murderer called the Indian Killer is terrorizing Seattle, hunting, scalping, and slaughtering white men. Motivated by rage and seeking retribution for his peoples violent history, his grizzly MO and skillful elusiveness both paralyze the city with fear and prompt an uprising of racial brutality. Out of the chaos emerges John Smith. Born to Indians but raised by white parents, Smith yearns for his lost heritage. As his embitterment with his dual life increases, Smith falls deeper into vengeful madness and quickly surfaces as the prime suspect. Tensions mount, and while Smith battles to allay the anger that engulfs him, the Indian Killer claims another life. With acerbic wit and chilling page-turning intensity, Alexie takes an unflinching look at what nurtures rage within a race both colonized and marginalized by a society that neither values nor understands it.

Powell's City of Books is an independent bookstore in Portland, Oregon, that fills a whole city block with more than a million new, used, and out of print books. Shop those shelves — plus literally millions more books, DVDs, and gifts — here at Powells.com.